Am going to reference this ‘Ghost Hunt’ app in my proposal as it has similar gameplay/ mechanics to what I’m planning for my project.

While writing my proposal, I started thinking more about the pulp magazine origions of the story and illustration I’m using as a basis for my Game, and thinking about how cool it might be to have the In-game elements of the game in the style of old comic covers.  So the information and menu screens, and the animations that are going to be the ‘rewards’ in the gameplay, are going to be in the style of Pulp magazine covers. Just cuse. Naw, I think it will make it look visually cool, and distinguish it from other Alternate Reality games set in an outdoor environment. I was thinking it might be interesting to make the animation of the creatures more of a 13 paper cut-out style, to allude to the pulpy/ comic book origins of the creatures. And again, to make the game more distinctive/ stand out more. 

The opening menu style of the game/ reward animation videos will have a retro comic-book cover style. 

XIII gameplay. So in my game the guy in the brown/white would be a monster…and have a real world background imported through the Smartphone’s camera function.

So today was pitching day…and I actually thought my pitch went down OK!

My project has ended up as an ARG/ augmented reality game for Iphone. What I’m currently titling ‘Inter-dimensional Alley’. It involves being initiated through a mysterious e-mail into a quest to solve a mysterious illness , and then wandering around real-world locations and using Iphone to see portals from another dimension, and the monsters  and defeat them. 

I think I might have got by mostly cuse everyone thought the monster illustration I used was cool XD But seriously, the panellists were variously receptive to:

•  the notion of a game played out in the ‘real-world’ whereas you could have silly fun making a fool of yourself.
• The orienteering aspect of the game, wandering the streets trying to find the 
• The offbeat monsters/ portal approach

The panelists suggested some things to me to differenciate/ improve my stab at the AR/outdoor play genre-thingy. It was suggested to me by the panelists that I should try and open up the experience as a multi-player experience more, and include a sort of ‘capture the flag’ gamplay, where players could maybe compete against each other, opening and closing portals, and team up with others. And to maybe consider having it open to other cities, not just specifically Edinburgh. 

There was a feeling I should expand on the ARG elements of the game, including maybe introducing humans afflicted by the lethargy of the monster’s illness. 

James advised me to maybe go back to the short story and pull back some more story elements. 

I was also advised to go back to looking at Aurasma maybe instead of Zappar as the host for the game, as this could allow more creative possibilities in the realisation of the portals/ monsters.  So I shall now get working on the final proposal, taking these considerations into account where appropriate. 

For now, good-bye from snake-monkey-blob-ghost!

Thought I should update my blog, since I haven’t in a while!!

From the past couple of talk throughs I figured out my idea of having a Iphone app where a whole augmented reality ghostly cemetery spring up over a real park was a little ambitious.

I’m thinking about using a programs like Zapar and a GPS-style program to create a sort of game where you have to navigate around a real part of a city (such as Old Town in edinburgh), and find ‘portals’ (bar codes) on the wall. When you find these portals, monsters will appear to ooze out of them, and it’s up to you to try to shut the portal, using your phone. 

I was thinking of loosely basing it on a premise of an old short story I read called ‘The Hunters from beyond’, in which weird oozy monkey-marshmallow monsters are able to climb through into our dimension through portal (illustration below) . Like The Mist as well I guess. 

Ghost-hunting App…might be able to tie into my game/app idea somehow. I shall ponder this :P

Loved playing this game when I was younger… freaky story told in an offbeat way with interesting visuals/ gameplay. 

Also Zappar. Will report later on my thoughts form looking at these sites :P